Unrequited Love Cycle
by ahzheejhei
Summary: [AU, Naruto POV, SongShot] By then, it was too late. She’ll never know, and the heartaching cycle will keep on rolling inside him…forever. “After all, we're friends. BEST friends. Nothing more.” [SasuSaku, tiny GaaSaku & NaruSaku]


**You Don't Know Me**

We've been friends since we were little.  
We went through the _twists and turns_ of life together.  
Because of that, you thought you knew **e**very**t**hing about me.

But you don't, Sakura, and maybe, you never will.  
You'll never know that I **loved** you,  
that I _still_ love you,  
and that I will love you until I **die**.

…Goodbye, Sakura-chan…

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"Naruto Uzumaki, are you saying that you can't dance?"

On the side of the dimmed gym floor, near the entrance, an eighteen year-old blonde shuffled in his black dress shoes. He averted his ocean-blue eyes to the floor, not wanting to see the interrogating female's piercing emeralds. "N-no," he stuttered, "it's not that! It's just…uh—"

"You bring me, your best friend, to prom, without learning how to _dance_?!"

"Aw, Sakura-chan, I can explain, really! I—"

Naruto's explanation was interrupted by fits of laughter. He looked at his 'date', who was shaking her rose-tinted hair bun and clutching the sides of her strapless lime-green dress.

"Sakura…?"

She wheezed, "Oh, Naru…Naruto…why didn't you…tell me beforehand? I…hehe…I could've helped you!"

"Ne, Sakura-chan—"

Twirling in her black stilettos, she raised her left hand, ushering the puzzled boy to take it. "Come on, I'll teach you now."

_**You give your hand to me, and then you say "Hello"  
**__**And I can hardly speak; my heart is beating so**_

The blonde teen nodded, putting his black jacket over the orange button-up shirt, and wordlessly took her hand as she brought them near the center of the stage. Giving him a reassuring smile, Sakura placed his hands on her waist and hers around his shoulders. "See? This isn't so bad now, is it?"

"But, Sakura! I already _know_ how to dance!"

Shaking her head and squeezing his broad shoulders, the rosette stuck her tongue out at him. "Naru-kun, you may look good in a black tux, but that doesn't hide your lying face. I've known you for what, since middle school? I think I know when you're not telling the truth by now."

Naruto frowned, slightly hurt by his best friend's words. "You sayin' that you don't believe in my abilities of the art of dancing with the opposite sex?"

"I only believe that you can swallow ten bowls of ramen every day _per meal_. Sorry, Naruto, I don't—FWAY-_YA_!"

Catching her off-guard, Naruto grinned as she gave the startled female a quick twirl, catching her in a low dip. Their faces came close, breaths mingling with each other. Seeing Sakura blush even darker, the cerulean-eyed male brought her back up. "See? I can _too_ dance! Iruka-sensei taught me!"

_**And anyone can tell…that you think you know me well…**_

The rosette teen pouted, poking him lightly on the chest. "Ne, Naruto, I guess I underestimated you."

"Damn straight, Pinky! Dattebayo, which means…_BELIEVE IT!_"

"Hey!" she bopped him on the head. "No saying the 'p-word', and don't you _dare _start rubbing it in!"

Wincing at her violent reaction, Naruto smiled sheepishly. "Alright…but thanks for dancing wi—OWW!" he cried out, rubbing both his left arm and his head. "Why twice?!"

It was Sakura's turn to smile, now. "Hehehe, now _you_ underestimated _me_. And, you're welcome, Naruto."

_**But you don't know me**_

8 8 8 – 8 8 8 – 8 8 8 – 8 8 8 – 8 8 8 – 8 8 8 – 8 8 8 – 8 8 8 – 8 8 8

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_Ah, nothing like another cup of ramen to counter the storm!_ Naruto thought happily as he looked outside. Indeed, the rain dropped like no tomorrow, with thunder and lightning as its constant chorus.

"Ah well, I hope that it'll—hey, the ramen's ready!" he exclaimed, eagerly taking out his seventh bowl from the microwave. Right as he broke his chopsticks to delve into the instant meal, a soft knock came upon his apartment door. Grunting, the blonde pulled an orange t-shirt while wiping the broth from his face with the back of his hand. Wiping them on his striped boxer-shorts, he gripped the doorknob. "Coming!"

As the oak door swung open, his eyes widened with it at the awful sight.

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"Ne, Sakura-chan? Why are you—_OOMPH!_"

The drenched, pink-haired female ran straight into his arms, rubbing mascara-streaked tears all over his shirt. Naruto, deducted that, after a full five minutes of staring at her dress jeans and green tank top, Sakura had just come from a party.

"Na-Na-Narutooo!" she sobbed as he closed the door. "It was–hic–awful!"

Concern spread quickly throughout his whisker-tattooed face. "What happened? is baa-chan okay? Was your car stolen? Your purse? Did someone try to rape you?"

Sakura shook her head to all of those questions. "Ga…Gaara-kun…h-he—"

"Is he okay? Did _he_ try to hurt you? I SWEAR that son-of-a-bitch—"

"—_dumped me!_"

_**You don't know the one who dreams of you at night**_

Closing the door and making an extra bowl of ramen, both eighteen year-olds ate while Sakura told him of her dinner-date night gone down the drain.

Naruto frowned as he listened to her, hardly touching his food. She was eating like crazy! Finishing her third bowl (along with his since he wasn't really eating), he took the empty dishes and set them in the sink, looking for an extra set of clothes to change into.

An hour later, when she finally calmed down, her best friend tucked her into his own bed, muttering a "Get some sleep" in her ear. With puffy green eyes, she spoke.

"Naruto-kun?"

"Hai?" he paused at the doorway. "Need anything?"

"No…" she replied, softly adding, "I'm sorry for intruding on your day off like this, though…"

The cerulean-eyed teen gave the rosette a sheepish grin. "Hehe, it's alright, Sakura. I'll have plenty more free days from Ichiraku…dattebayo!"

Nodding, she closed her eyes, resting her head back on the white pillow. "You're a great guy, Naruto…why can't I have a boyfriend like that…?"

"…you could, if you'd let me…" Naruto said softly, turning to look at her. "I'd treasure you forever, like no other guy you'd ever been with."

_**Who longs to kiss your lips,  
**__**And longs to hold you tight—oh!**_

"Sakura, I know it's a weird time to ask, but…" he began, "will you be my—"

His question was never finished, nor answered. All because of five simple words that escaped her lips:

"You're a great friend, Naruto…"

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…

His heart cracked, and he stepped back into reality.

_Of course…we're friends, _best_ friends…and nothing more._

Trying to maintain his composure, he walked over to her sleeping form, kissing her forehead. "Anything for you, Sakura…anything." Pulling the blue covers over her slender body, he took his place on the couch in the living room.

The rainstorm had simmered down to a heavy drizzle, but the water works were just beginning inside his small apartment.

"Looks like the ramen isn't balancing the rainstorm like it should…"

_**Oh, I'm just a friend. That's all I've ever been…  
**_'_**Cause you don't know me.**_

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_**I never knew the art of making love…**_

Naruto sighed, grabbing his third can of beer. "I don't know how else to tell her, Sasuke! Can you help out a friend in need instead of reading the damn newspaper?"

Scoffing, the said twenty-two year-old flipped to another sports article. "Dumbass, you seriously need _that_ much help in wooing a girl? At least I now know that you aren't gay…"

"Bastard!" the blonde chucked an empty can at the other male, and missed by a hair. "Just…well…what do _you_ do to get a girl to know you're interested?"

Sighing, Sasuke picked up the can and threw it into the recycling bin—at which Naruto laughed; who knew that the human ice-cube cared about the environment?—and motioned him to the door. "Let's go for a walk, and I'll give you some pointers on your girl problems…dobe."

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After about fifteen minutes in the park, Sasuke sighed, ruffling his dark hair. _How annoying…_he thought, leaning against the bridge. "You're hopeless. Why did I even bother to help you?"

"But why should you ask her out on a Thursday? Why do you need to say, 'I got something important to say to you', and then go 'Iloveyou' in front of her face? How the hell does _that_ help?!"

Rubbing his temples, the Uchiha tried to block out all his other questions. "You wanted my help, moron, and that's what I have to say to you."

"Can you _explain_ why I need to do these things?" Naruto whined, blue eyes sparkling with hope…maybe now he could ask Sakura out!

Groaning, he turned around to face the annoying prick. "If you do it on any other day, she'll be too tired or stressed or in a hurry to take in what your saying; you're giving the female some time to think about it—over the weekend. Do you understand _that_ at least?"

"Yeah, but—"

"And, if you say it hurriedly, truthfully, and quickly, it gives…it's 'romantic'. Women like romantic."

**_…Though my heart aches with love for you…_**

Scratching his head, Naruto narrowed his eyes to match his friend's. "How the fucking hell do you know this stuff?"

"I have a life; you don't."

"I don't see women sprawling over _you_, teme!"

"That's because I'm not interested in a relationship right now, _dobe_."

Shaking his head, the twenty year-old blonde smirked. _Maybe, like what Neji says, the perfect girl isn't here for you yet._

"Hn." The Uchiha turned around, facing the other direction Naruto was in. "I'm going home."

"Fine, teme! I'll see you later!" Naruto waved, watching his friend retreat. Scratching his forehead, he started thinking of a way to talk to Sakura on "the special day"…

Over the phone?—no, he'd probably stutter in the receiver.

How about at an ice cream shoppe?—but then he'd drool over his dessert and not get anything out of his mouth…besides the vanilla ice cream.

Online?—that would be too cowardly.

Before he could think it out any further, he heard a shriek and a crash, sounding awfully like—

A pink-haired girl was slipping off of a tree branch, screeching as no one was there to help her.

—Sakura!

Just as Naruto ran to help her, a black blur got to the tree first, the one he "affectionately" called…teme.

_Sasuke…? _Naruto frowned, hiding behind one of the bushes. _I thought you left for home already! What are _YOU_ still doing here at the park?!_

"Are you okay?" Sasuke asked, catching her bridal style. "What the fuck were you thinking, climbing a tree with sandals?"

"I'm sorry!" the flustered woman cried, arms draping around his neck like a lifeline. "This…idiot…he threw my bag up the stupid tree! And I…I can't…"

"…Loser," he muttered, setting her down gently as he climbed up the tree, grabbing the mesh bag from the branches. He dropped down and tossed it to her. "Why don't you ask for help, next time?"

Sakura frowned, pursing her lips. "I'm sorry, but I don't go up to random strangers saying, 'Hey, want to give a cute girl a hand?' Honestly…!"

"Oh, I wouldn't say 'cute'," Sasuke smirked, seeing her flare up. "I'd say something else."

"Pray tell, what might that something _be_?" she snarled, cracking her knuckles. Sure, the young woman was in a blue tank top and mini-skirt, but that didn't mean she _acted_ the part of a girly-girl!

"…Hn." He shrugged, and walked away, stuffing his hands in his blue jeans.

_**Afraid and shy, I let my chance go by…  
**__**The chance that you might love me, too**_

"Hey…! Wait, Mr. Ice Cube!"

He turned around, half-amused at her attempt to call him a name. "Yeah, Pinky?"

Ignoring the comeback, she panted, tugging onto his black t-shirt. "I have to…thank you…"

Sasuke shook his head. "Really, I don't think—"

"Would you like to go out for coffee or something?"

He stared at her incredulously. She didn't ask for a date, or a kiss, or a hug, like what most women did…but for coffee? Who does _that_ these days?

Sakura frowned, looking at him innocently. "Unless you're busy or something…"

He shook his head. "No."

Her emerald eyes dulled a bit, "Oh, okay. Well, thanks anyway." Turning around and starting (blindly) towards Naruto's direction, a calloused hand grabbed her shoulders.

"No, not 'no thank-you'," Sasuke quickly explained, "I meant, 'No, I'm not busy.' How about Starbucks? It'll be my treat."

His onyx eyes stared intently at the woman, getting the answer he had waited for.

"Sure…but aren't _I_ supposed to pay for you?" Sakura asked, confused by his offer.

For the first time, in a _long_ time, Naruto saw Sasuke smile.

"It's not every day a short-tempered, non-flirtatious woman falls from a tree and asks for my company. Why would I want to pass that opportunity up?"

Naruto's blue eyes widened. _He did _not_ just do that__! Hit that bastard for me, Sakura, hit him hard!_

And punch him she tried, but he had grabbed her hand. "Nice try, Pinky."

"The name is _Sakura_, damnit!"

"And I'm Sasuke; nice to meet you, _Sakura-damnit_."

She was about to hit him, but he had grabbed her hand and tugged her along. "Come on, let's go."

The broken-hearted blonde had taken off, running as fast as he could back to his apartment.

Those two had smiled…and that was the spark he saw between his two best friends.

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Within five years, Naruto had slowly broken off his ties with those two, and continued working endlessly in the Ichiraku ramen business, which had slowly started becoming a chain all over Japan. He even managed to get a date or two (set up by his other friends, Chouji in particular).

Then Fate decided to switch courses one last time.

One afternoon, Naruto checked inside his mailbox. Among the usual magazines, bills, and newspapers, there was a small letter with _Naruto Uzumaki_ written in gold…

It was a wedding invitation.

_0 . 0 . 0 . 0 . 0 . 0 . 0 . 0 . 0 . 0 . 0 . 0 . 0 . 0 . 0 . 0_

_Mr. & Mrs. Shikamaru Nara  
request the pleasure of your company  
at the marriage of their close friend  
Sasuke Uchiha  
to  
Miss Sakura Haruno  
__at Neon Lights Café, Kusagakure_

_on Saturday, the 11th of September  
at 3.30 o'clock  
followed by a reception._

_0 . 0 . 0 . 0 . 0 . 0 . 0 . 0 . 0 . 0 . 0 . 0 . 0 . 0 . 0 . 0_

He arrived at the church, present in-hand, and watched the ceremony unfold itself. Sakura was beautiful, no, _gorgeous_, in her white wedding gown; Sasuke looked nice in his black tuxedo…

…but he wished it was not his friend, but him, instead.

At the reception, while chatting it up with some of Sasuke's relatives, the newly-wed wife came over and gave Naruto a hug from the back.

"Naruto-kun, you came! I missed you, y'know! I mean, yeah, I saw your ramen business skyrocket and all, but I could never get a hold of you!"

Smiling at his childhood friend, he replied, "Owning a business is a lot of work, I don't get out very often."

"Ah…wait, what?! What happened to the energetic blonde that ate ramen?" she stared, not believing the words that had just came out of his mouth. "The Naruto _I_ knew never spoke so formally!"

"Ehehe, I guess talking to the other businesses gets to you, dattebayo!" he added cheerfully, receiving a ruffle from her manicured hand.

"Ah, so he _didn't_ fade away! That's good; I don't know what I'd do with you if he did."

He added dramatically, "Oh no, please not another whack on the head! Which, by the way, _really _hurts, Sakura-chan!"

She gave him a toothy smile. "Just like old times, ne? How about a dance, too?" she extended her left hand in front of his face.

Just like prom night.

_**You give your hand to me, and then you say "Goodbye"**_

Nodding, the blonde took it, and led her to the dance floor. The two smiled at each other, giving comments and making some small talk, not knowing the pair of jealous onyx eyes staring at them.

"You know, Naruto, Sasuke-kun says he has you to thank."

He looked at her, surprised, "Eh, really?"

She nodded. "Yep! He said that if it wasn't for you, he wouldn't have seen me at the park! That, and he said I would be suffering from paralysis by now."

_Or, I would have come to catch you from your fall, and _I'd_ be the one marrying you,_ he wanted to say, but instead, "Wow, THE Sasuke Uchiha, the one with a rod halfway up his ass, gives ME gratitude?"

"Yeah, I know. I swear, though, he can be so over-protective sometimes…"

Naruto saw, as he half-listened to Sakura's ranting, her husband come towards them, but he kept this to himself.

He wanted to spend these last few seconds with her before she waltzed out of his life for good.

_**I watch you walk away, beside the lucky guy—oh!  
You'll never know the one who loves you so**_

"Hey, dobe, mind if I cut in?"

Both heads looked up, seeing Sasuke taking her hand. "She _is_ my wife, man."

As Sakura tried to protest at his sudden gesture, the blonde cut her retort short. "Of course…teme. Sakura," he turned to the startled bride, "dance your heart out, like prom."

Her eyes glistened as she gave her best friend a peck on both cheeks. "Naru-kun…you really are something."

Naruto chuckled as a lone tear trailed down his face as he watched the two newlyweds dance the night away. He whispered to her the same phrase he silently told her since prom night:

"_**Well, you don't…know me."**_

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**My Disclaimers are that** Naruto does not belong to me, since Masashi Kishimoto created it; and "You Don't Know Me" was composed by Eddy Arnold, because I do not have the skills of composing music. I can only play tunes on the piano. –sweatdrop– I also know that Michael Bublé sings this song. –cheezygrin–

Yes, I used an American wedding. Sorry, I don't know how a ceremony in Japan is. n.n;; And, if you had not picked this knowledge up yet, each break was a two-year skip (except for the last one; that was a five).

Well, there's my first knack at a songfic! A serious one, too; I prefer writing comedy, though, because it flows easier with me. How was their characterization? I hope it wasn't horrible or anything…Go Staraya for beta-ing! Yay!

_(( Revised: June 2, 2007 ))_


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